Late Notice
by Constance Truggle
Summary: Buffy found out she was adopted. *Warning: Character death implied*


**Title:** Late Notice  
**Author: ****Constance Truggle**  
**Fandom: ****Buffy/Harry Potter**  
**Rating:** FR13

**Pairing: **None  
**Summary********: ****Buffy finds out she was adopted. **  
**Disclaimer:** People other than me own anything recognizable.

**Warning: **Character death mentioned.  
**Word Count:** 1725

**Author's Note:** Just to make it clear: Buffy was born when her parents were sixteen. I'm going to say that they had Harry at twenty-one, so he's a fifth year here. Timeline: Season Five/Book Five

_Thanks to hellbells for beta'ing and being a sounding board that was sorely needed on this one._

* * *

Buffy had put it off for nearly a week, but they needed the papers. So here she was, going through the papers in her mother's files. She refused Dawn's offer of help because she didn't want to put her little sister through the trauma. Now, as she looked at the forms in her hand, she really wished she had accepted. She couldn't believe it. She was adopted. Not only that, but the forms were from an agency with an address located in London. So not only was she not a Summers, but she was from the Land of Tweed. Nope. She decided she wasn't going to be able to deal with this on her own, so she hurried out to find someone. Eventually, she found Giles and Anya at the Magic Box.

After she showed Giles her papers, everything became a whirlwind of action. Apparently, her parents – who were listed on one of the forms her mother kept – were rather well known to her Watcher. And dead. Very, very dead. It seemed she couldn't keep even one set alive. Mentally, she _knew_ there was nothing she could have done for them. Giles said they died when she was still just a little girl, after all. But it was still just another hit to her already damaged emotions to find this out after just burying her mother. Speaking of her mother, she _really_ needed to find those life insurance papers. So she left Giles to go back to whatever he was doing on the phone with some other people from Gilesland and went back to her papers.

* * *

That whirlwind picked her up the next day. Giles showed up at her house with a couple of men in weird dresses. The first, a brown-haired, amber eyed man set off her slayer senses in a big way. But it was familiar; like she just had to sit down and dig through her memories to figure it out. The other was extremely surly and obviously didn't want to be there. She didn't want him there, either, with his pale skin and his greasy hair. Honestly, she thought. Hasn't he ever heard of shampoo?

Stepping aside so they could enter without a verbal invite, she glared at Giles.

"Nice of you to let me know you were bringing company, Watcher-mine," she began, only to stop as the friendlier-looking man gasped.

"Watcher, Rupert? You mean you have a Potential of your own?"

Giles glared at Buffy while cleaning his glasses with his handkerchief. "Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, this is Buffy Summers. Buffy, these men came to discuss your family with you."

"Is she a squib?" the dark one – Snape – snarled in a rather obnoxiously snide tone.

"Is he evil, Giles? Why do you always bring the evil people?" Buffy complained to her mentor, completely ignoring Snape, who seemed to be getting angry about something. "And do I look like I have eight arms?"

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose, accompanied by a sigh. "_Squib_, Buffy, not _squid_. Which you're not, technically. And he's no more evil than I am."

"Two words for you, Giles. _Ethan_ and _Eyghon_. Ring a bell?" Here she turned her attention to the last man. "You feel familiar," she started, staring intently at him. He looked nervous and Giles looked about to intervene when she snapped her fingers.

"I've got it! You're a werewolf."

The two strangers narrowed their eyes at her while Giles just shook his head. "Buffy. That's not something you just _announce_."

"How-"

Buffy cut Remus off. "It's not like it's a big deal, Giles... is it? I mean, it was never a big deal with Oz, and nobody really cared if he became a fluffy puppy every month as long as we had him locked up, so it's really _not_ a big deal. Honest." She fiddled with her shirt, uncomfortable with still being stared at before she brightened. "I know! I'll make tea! You still have some stuff here, right Giles?"

"No! No, Buffy, you are _not_ allowed to make tea. Remember what happened last time you tried?"

Before she could answer, the door burst open to admit a smoldering blanket with legs.

"Oi! Slayer! Got any blood?"

* * *

After a _proper pot of tea_ had been made and served – no introductions made for the newcomer – Remus turned to Buffy.

"So you're the Slayer, and not just a Potential?" he asked.

"Yup! Since I was fifteen," she confirmed.

A snort from Snape garnered the room's attention. "Impossible! No slayer lives longer than a couple of years at the most," he scoffed.

"True. I had a case of Death when I was sixteen. I got better," was her flippant reply.

This time Giles snorted, but his was an attempt to keep his amusement at bay.

"I never knew that, pet! What happened, then?" Spike asked, always looking for the good stories.

"There was a prophecy that the Master would kill me. He did, Xander gave me CPR, then I killed him."

Remus blinked, startled. "You killed this Xander fellow?"

Buffy looked at him funny. "No, I killed the Master."

"Then why are you still the Slayer? Why isn't there another Slayer?" Snape asked.

"Wow, Giles. I didn't think you hated me that much," Buffy said.

"Whatever are you on about, dear girl?" was the reply.

"Why else would you bring Mr Snarky-pants? I've obviously done something to you that was so bad that you now hate me," she said, ignoring the sniggering and glowering of the various men in the room. Turning to Snape, she answered him.

"And for your information, there _is_ another Slayer. But she went bad for a bit and now she's in prison, redemption bound."

"Preposterous! Slayers don't 'go bad', girl!" Buffy, Giles and Spike all burst out laughing at this, for once in perfect accord.

"Wow!" Buffy said, drawing the word out while shaking her head.

"You're not in Watcher school, are you, mate." Spike noted. It was a statement, not a question.

"Slayers are just like anyone else, Severus," Giles said. "And there have been cases of rogue slayers over the years."

"Then why haven't we heard about it, Rupert?"

"It's not like the bloody Watcher's Council is going to advertise its failings, is it?" Spike threw in.

"Spike."

"Spike..." Remus muttered, though everyone could hear him. "As in William the Bloody?"

Spike puffed up a bit at the recognition. "Heard of me, then?"

Buffy groaned and put a hand over her face, the other coming up to swat the back of Spike's head. "Please, don't encourage his ego."

After the chuckles from that settled, the men set to telling Buffy about her famous parents – Lily and James – and her _very_ famous brother, Harry. Over the course of finding out about their current Big Bad, she also found out that Severus had done a stint as Evil Minion to said Big Bad.

"Hah! Totally called that one!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"Hush, Buffy," Giles admonished her.

Then they learned about her, most of which Remus would be relaying to Harry. Severus, it seemed, loathed her brother with an unparalelled intensity. They were told about Buffy's life up until that point, and about Glory and the problems they were having with her; they were unable to offer any help, just as she had been unable to do for them. So they made plans to keep in touch, moreso with Remus than Severus. Giles was certain Dumbledore sent the irrascible man to ascertain the truth of things. Remus would give a report that was biased in their favor – so long as he liked them, and as a former school chum of Rupert's that was more than likely – but Snape's report would likely be biased against them. Especially since she was related to Harry. Except that he seemed to be warming up to her. Somewhat. It was a very strange thing to watch, and Giles put it down to her seeming acceptance of Spike in their lives, as well as her casual mention of Faith be on the path to redemption. Well, the man _had_ been evil, after all.

After the share-time was over and the men left, Buffy wondered how long it would be before she'd see them again. Despite his surly attitude, Severus' dry humor and Remus' not-so-dry humor were refreshing and relaxing. It was like she got to take a mini-vacation from dealing with Glory and her crap. It was nice.

Over the course of the next month or so, Buffy corresponded with Remus, writing roughly every three days. After she sent her first letter, she decided that Severus needed a friend, too. Or she could have fun annoying him. However he chose to take it. So she sent him a letter, too, with Remus' next delivery. After that, they were regular pen pals... quill pals? Whatever. They did it, and Remus was very good about not teasing the dark man about it. She understood from the werewolf that Harry didn't know she was friends with his most despised teacher, though. Ah well. He'd learn it soon enough.

* * *

Remus watched the owl wing its way towards him, right on schedule. He was breakfasting in the Great Hall at Hogwarts as he'd been in reporting to Albus early that morning. He and Buffy had been corresponding frequently over the last weeks, and Remus was looking forward to Harry getting out of school so he could introduce the siblings. He wasn't that surprised to see a letter to Severus included, as he often passed them on for Buffy. What did puzzle him was that the letters were addressed in a handwriting that was unfamiliar to him. Absently, he handed the letter down to Severus and unfolded his own, sitting up straight when he read the first few lines.

"Oh dear. Harry's not going to take that well," he said softly. Remus wasn't, either. And, apparently, neither was Severus if the empty seat and the edge of the billowing robes he glimpsed through the doors was any indication.


End file.
